Machine for operating on sole members



May 20, 1941-. L. e. KNOWLES MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SOLE MEMBERS Filed Oct. 24, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 L. G. KNOWLES MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SOLE MEMBERS .May 20, 1941.

Filed Oct. 24, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet 2 llllllll' m y 1941- L. G. KNOWLES 2,242,473

I MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SOLE MEMBERS Filed Oct. 24. 1959 5 Sheets- Sheet s y 20, 1941- L. G. KNOWLES 2,242,473

MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SOLEMEYMBERS Filed Oct. 24, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 20, 1941. G. KNOWLES 2,2

MACHINE FOR OPERATING 0N SOLE MEMBERS I Filed Oct. 24, 19:59 5 sheet s-she ps Patented May 20, 1941 MA'OHINE FOR OPERATING ON SOLE MEMBERS Lloyd G. Knowles, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Coroporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J.

Application October 24, 1939, Serial No. 301,011

18 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for operating on soles and is herein illustrated and described as embodied in a machine for forming transverse marginal incisions at opposite sides of insoles, and for simultaneously marking the shoe sizes, etc., thereon.

The stock-fitting operations on the insoles incorporated in welt shoes usually include the formation of two channels, the lips of which are cemented together to form an upstanding sewing rib. It is desirable in carrying out these operations to form transverse cuts or incisions in the flesh surface of the insole at opposite sides thereof adjacent to the heel breast line before channeling, so that when the rib is turned up, it will be already squared and trimmed at the proper point. Simultaneously with the formation of these incisions, the grain or'foot facing surface of the insole is generally marked to indicate the necessary extent of the channeling, and size numz bers and the manufacturer's trade-mark are frequently stamped in the sole. Machines of this character are commonly referred to as lip cutting and scoring machines.

For any single style of shoe the distance from the heel end of the sole to the terminations of the rib, and therefore to the transverse marginal cuts in the flesh surface of the insole, is in fixed proportion to the actual over-all length'of the sole, but the actual length of the sole is determined by a. combination of at'least four factors. First and most important is the nominal length size of the shoe in which the sole member is to be incorporated. Secondly, this dimension is dependent upon the system of length size grading employed. That is, the increment of actual length per nominal length size may vary among manufacturers or even among different styles made by the same manufacturer. Thirdly, the actual lengths of the soles change with different width sizes of the same length size and finally, the systems of width grading may vary.

In view of the many factors affecting the overall length of the sole and consequently the distance from the heel end of the sole to the place where the incisions are to be formed, it is an 0biect of the present invention to provide an improved lip cutting and scoring machine which is so constructed that its sole gage may be easily and quickly set for any size of sole and for any system of size grading. It is a further object of the invention to provide a series of marking dies so coordinated with the gage setting mechanism that positioning of the gage for any given size of sole will automatically move the appropriate size marking dies into operative position.

In accordance with these objects, the invention provides a machine for operating on soles having a; Work support, cutting means for forming transverse marginal incisions in the flesh surface of a sole at opposite sides thereof adjacent to its heel breast line, a gage for positioning the sole, mechanism for setting the gage to locate soles of different sizes in proper relation to the cutting means, and regulators in combination with this mechanism for varying the amount of gage movement for each size. Thus, the mechanism may be adjusted to any system of size grading employed, and when so adjusted may be operated to move the gage in relation to the cutting means proper distances per nominal size throughout a complete range of length and width sizes. A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a series of numbering dies so coordinated with the gage setting mechanism that when the gage is set for a sole of a given length size and Width size, dies bearing the corresponding size numbers are moved into operative position ready to mark the sizes on the sole, when the machine is treadled.

The invention will be better understood when considered with relation to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of that portion of the machine adjacent to the point of operation;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mechanism for adj usting the gage;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the work support and gage;

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section of the gage adjusting mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section of the width adjustment and the width grading adjustment along the line VIVI of Fig. 5; and

Fig. '7 is a cross section along the lines VIIVII of Fig. 3 and illustrating the die carrying discs.

As best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2,the machine is composed of three principal sections, a frame H) which includes a Work table or support l2, a head It slidable in the frame on ways 16, and carrying the work-doing portions of the machine, and the means for causing the head to reciprocate vertically and thereby perform the various functions of the machine.

The head carries a pair of knives I 8 secured in the'head' in such a manner that they may be adjusted slightly both lengthwise and transversely of the cutting edge. As illustrated, there is a space between the knives so that two distinct cuts may be formed in the Work, but a single continuous incision may be made if desired, or a single knife with a gap in its cutting edge may be used in place of the two separate units. In addition to the knives, the head also carries a number of yieldabl'y' mounted hammers 28 which are arranged so as to strike the sole and cause various marking dies carried in the Work table l2 to make corresponding impressions in the sole.

Reci'procation of the head to accomplish these functions is effected by an eccentric 22 on a shaft 24, the former being connected to the head by a link 26. It is, of course, necessary to change the depth of the cut made by the knives from time to time as the thickness of the stock being operated upon changes. To this end, the limit of downward movement of the head is made adjustable by means of an eccentric portion 28 of a pin 36 connecting the link 26 and the head. The pin is normally locked in place by a dog 32 having a serrated face 34 which meshes with corresponding serrations on the head 36 of the pin. Loosening of a screw 38 holding the dog permits the pin to be turned to shift the head slightly upward or downward.

Power to rotate the shaft 24 is transmitted by a gear 48 which upon depression of a treadle 42 is connected by clutch mechanism 44 of any wellknown type to the shaft. The gear 48 meshes with an idler gear 46 which in turn is driven by a pulley 48 connected by a belt 50 to an electric motor 52.

In order to position a sole in proper relation to the head and the knives, there is provided, toward the rear of the work support, a gage 54 (Fig. 4) for positioning the heel end of the sole. This gage is movable toward and from the front of the machine, being mounted on an arm 56 which is adjustably clamped by means of a thumb screw 58 to a slide rod 60. The gage itself is composed of an abutment 62, against which the heel end of the sole is held, and two arms 64 which may be set to assist in positioning the sole laterally.

In order to set the gage so that it will properly position a sole of agiven length size and width size, the rear end 66 (Fig. 3) of the slide rod 66 is toothed to form a rack 68 which meshes with one portion of a double-ended sector gear ID. The length and width size settings are effected by two cams 12 and I4 (Fig. which act through levers I6 and I8 respectively to move the sector gear. The master adjustment means or regulators, by which the machine is adapted to the systems of grading employed, are effected by moving the pivot points of the levers I6 and 18 to vary the amount of throw of the levers per degree of angular displacement of the cams. These structures will now be described in detail.

Length size adjustment mechanism As has been indicated the most important factor affecting the distance from the heel end of the sole to the place where the incisions are to be made, and consequently the setting of the gage. is the nominal length size of the sole.' To provide for the positioning of the gage in accordance with this factor, the sector gear 18 (Figs. 3 and 5) is pivoted on a sleeve 80 which is integral with a slide 82 free to move on ways 84. A stud 86 on one end of the lever 76 extends into the sleeve 80 so that when the lever is pivoted about a pin 88 acting as a fulcrum point, the slide and the sector gear-will be moved forwardly or rearwardly depending upon the direction of movement of the lever. The other end 90 of the sector gear engages a rack 92' so that the movement of the lever I6 will cause the sector gear to rotate and thus move the slide rod 66 and the gage 54. I

To transmit movement to the lever I6, its end 94 is provided with a pin 96 extending through a sleeve 98 fitting over the cam I2 and held against rotation relative thereto by a boss I80 extending into a slot in the sleeve. On the end of the pin 96 is mounted a cam roll I82 which enters the helical cam groove I04 in the cam so that rotation of the latter will cause the lever to move.

Since the paths of movement of the stud 86 and the pin 86 are parallel, it will be obvious that the distance between the stud and the pin will vary as the lever is moved to different positions. For this reason, the end 94 of the lever is slotted to receive a slidable block I06 and in this block is carried the pin 96.

Movement of the cam '12 is effected by making it integral with a shaft I08 which extends through the front of the machine and has mounted upon it a hand wheel I I0 and a dial H2 upon which are marked the various length sizes of the sole. Thus, when the hand wheel is rotated to set the dial at a given size, the cam 12 transmits a predetermined amount of movement to the sector gear and thence to the sole gage 54.

Length size grading regulator Some manufacturers find it desirable to make the increment in length between soles of successive length sizes approximately 5", while others will grade to a greater or a lesser amount. In order to accommodate these various systems of length size grading, the length size adjustment must be made sufficiently flexible so that the amount of movement that will be imparted to the ease by moving the dial from one size to the next may be varied. This is accomplished in the illustrated machine by shifting the pivot point of the lever I6, so that the throw of the lever will be varied. To this end, a lengthwise slot H4 is formed in the lever I6 and a block H6 is slidably fitted therein. The block H6 is bored to receive the pivot pin 88 so that moving the block in either direction in the slot H4 shifts the fulcrum point of the lever. In order to effect such movement of the block and pin, the pin is made integral with a rack member H8 which is movable in ways I20. Movement is transmitted to the rack by a pinion gear I22 which meshes with it and which is keyed to a shaft I24. The shaft I24 extends out through the front of the machine and a knob I26 and dial I28 are secured to its forward end, the dial'being marked with the increments called for by the various grading systems. Thus, setting the dial to a given increment moves the pivot pin 88 of the lever 16, vary-,

ing the throw of the latter so that rotation of the cam 12 will impart ,to the slide 82, and conse-- quently the gage, the proper amount of movement in accordance with the system of grading employed. It is to be noted here that, regardless of where the pivot pin 88 is set, so long as that setting is not altered, movement of the length size dial from one size to the next succeeding one will move the gage a fixed distance, regardless of whether the dial be moved from 4 to 5, or from 11 to 12.

Width size adjusting mechanism As has been indicated, the crucial factor in determining the position of the incisions is the overall length of the sole. This length varies, however, with different widths of soles of the same nominal length size. Thus, a IE sole may be as much as A" longer than a IA. In order to set the gage to compensate for these variations, mechanism is provided which, except for the point at which the lever acts upon the sector gear I0, is very similar to the length size mechanism. In this case, however, the connection to the sector gear I0 is made at the end 90. The

rack 92 with which the end of the sector gear meshes is made slidable on a track I and is also bored to receive a pin I32 carried on one end of the lever 18. Mounted on a pin I34 carried by the other end of the lever is a cam roll I36 which enters the groove I88 in the cam 14..

Since the paths of movement of the pins I32 and I34 are parallel, the lever 18 is slotted to receive a slidable block I40 in which the pin I34 is carried, so that the distance between the pins may vary as the lever 18 moves.

The cam 14 which operates the lever is mounted on a shaft I42 journaled in bearings I44 (Fig. 6) and extending out through the front of the machine. This shaft also carries a knob I46 and dial I48 marked with the various width sizes. Thus, movement of the dial I48 to a designated width size rotates the cam a definite amount, causing the lever 18 to pivot about a pin I50 and thus move the rack 92. Shifting of the position of the rack causes the sector gear 10 to rotate, thus moving the arm 56 and positioning the gage according to the width size of the sole to be operated upon, in a manner similar to the setting of the gage effected by the length size adjustment previously described.

Width size grading regulator As in the case of length grading systems, the width grading may vary among manufacturers or even among styles of shoes made by a single manufacturer. Since the actual length of the sole increases in proportion to the width, a master adjustment may advantageously be provided to take this factor into account, such being necessary if the cuts are to be accurately positioned.

To this end the lever 18 is slotted to receive a block I52 through which the pivot pin I50 extends. This pin is rigid with a slide I54 which moves in ways I56. Teeth I58 are out in the slide I54 to form a rack which meshes with a pinion gear I80 keyed to a shaft I62. This shaft also extends out through the front of the machine and carries a knob I64 and dial I 66 marked with the various increments in width, so that the throw of the lever 18 may be varied to suit the grading increment of any particular system employed.

Size marking In addition to forming the transverse incisions which define the ends of the rib, it is desirable that a machine of this type should also mark on the grain surface of the sole numbers indicating the length and width sizes. the marking dies and the gage setting mechanism may advantageously be so coordinated that shifting of the gage from its position for one size sole to that for another size will move dies carrying the appropriate numbers for the first sole out of operative position and move the proper die numbers for the second sole into such position. To this end, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and '1', there is provided a disc I68 which is mounted on the shaft I00 and is held against rotation relative thereto by a pin I10. A number of length size dies I12 are secured in sequence about the periphery of this disc, To mark the width sizes, a second disc I14 is provided, this disc also carrying on its periphery a number of width size dies I16. This latter disc is integral with a sleeve I18 which fits over the shaft I88 and is rotatable about it. A gear I88, keyed to this sleeve, meshes with an idler gear I82, which in turn engages a gear I 84 mounted on the shaft I24 carrying the In this connection,

secured to the disc I68 by the pin I18.

cam for adjusting the width. Thus, rotation of the length size or the width size dials will cause the respective marking discs to rotate. The two discs are, of course, so arranged that setting the dials at a given size will move a marking die bearing the corresponding size number into operative position.

The variation in lengths of soles makes it desirable that these marking dies may be moved axially, that is, longitudinally of a sole in the machine. In order to allow for this adjustment, the shaft I08 is bored to receive a rod I88 which is secured to the marking disc I88 by the pin I10. An axially extending slot I88 is formed in the shaft I08 at the point where the pin passes through it so that the latter may move axially of the shaft, The width die disc I14 is coupled with the disc I88 by means of a key I90 which enters a groove I92 in the disc I14 and is also Axial movement of the gear I is prevented by a collar I94 fastened to bosses I98 (Fig. 3) on the frame of the machine. To shift the position of the rod I88 there is provided a screw I88 which is threaded into a bore in the rod I 86. A flange I08 holds the screw against axial movement relative to the shaft I08 so that turning of the screw I96 will cause the marking discs I68 and I14 to move axially along the shaft to whatever position may be suitable for the size sole being operated upon.

Operation To use the machine, the gage must first be positioned in accordance with a sample sole of the style to be operated upon, in order to establish a basic point from which the gage setting mechanism may work. To this end, the length size grading dial I28 and the width grading dial I66 are first set to the systems of grading which are being employed by the manufacturer in the particular style of shoe. This moves the pivot pins 88 and I50 into proper position so that the throwof the levers 18 and 18, respectively, will agree with the increments of size and width called for by the systems of grading, The length dial H2 and the width dial I48 are next set in accordance with the size of sole which is to be operated upon, thus moving into operative position marking dies of the corresponding size numbers. The point at which the particular style of shoe requires that the lateral incisions be made is marked on the sdle and the sole is put flesh side up into the machine. The thumb screw 58 is then loosened and the arm 58 moved forward or back until the gage 54 is in such a position that when the heel end of a sole is placed aaginst it, the point at which the incisions are to be made is directly below the knives I8. Upon completion of these steps the machine is ready to make properly positioned incisions when the treadle 42 is depressed. Various sizes and widths of soles may now be put through the machine, the only adjustments necessary being the setting of the dials H2 and I48. It is to be noted that manual adjustment of the gage by means of the thumb screw 58 should be made only when there is a change in the style of sole such that the proportion between the distance from the heel end of the sole to the incisions and the overall length of the sole is affected. Once this has been determined, the length and width size grading systems may, without altering this ratio, be changed.

at will by resetting the respective dials. Similarly, the movement of the dials H2 and I 48 to accommodate soles of varying widths and sizes 'will maintain the desired proportion, regardless of the size or width of the sole being worked upon, It is to be noted that both the size grading and the width grading mechanisms may, if desired, be set so that the pivot pins 88 and I50 are concentric with the stud 86 and the pin I32 respectively. At this zero setting the size dial I I2 and the width dial I48 may be rotated freely to change the numbering dies without, however, affecting the position of the gage. Thus, if a manufacturer desires to use the same size of 'heel on several diiferent sizes of shoe, he may set the grading dials at zero and shift the gage manually by loosening the thumb screw 58.

Various other features may, of course, be incorporated in the machine. The knives I8 may, as illustrated in Fig. 1, have their cutting edges formed by the intersection of two ground faces which are at different angles to the path by movement of the knives, so that the slash formed thereby will be better adapted to receive a tool for bringing the channel lips together in upstanding position. A die I98 (Fig. 4) bearing the manufacturers trade-mark may be inserted in the work support andif desired may be heated by any convenient means 200, and similarly, a die 202 bearing a number of dots may be incorporated in the work support so as to indicate on the grain side of the sole the position of the transverse incisions. Thus, when the head descends, the hammers will strike the flesh side of the sole and cause the dies beneath the sole to make impressions on the opposite sole surface.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A machine for operating on soles comprising a work support, cutting means for defining the terminations of an integral sewing rib adjacent the heel breast line of a sole, a gage for positioning the sole, mechanism including a pivoted member for shifting the relation of the gage and the cutting means in accordance with the size of the sole, and master adjustment means in combination with said mechanism, said means including a member manually rotatable to shift the pivotal point of said pivoted member thereby to vary the amount of shift for each size to correspond with the system of size grading employed.

2. A machine for operating on soles comprising a work support, cutting means for forming a transverse incision in a surface of a sole adjacent the heel breast line, a gage for positioning the sole, mechanism including a pivoted member for setting the gage to locate a sole in proper relation to said cutting means according to its length size, and master adjustment means acting upon said mechanism, said means including a member manually rotatable to shift the pivotal point of said pivoted member thereby to vary the amount of gage movement for each length size to correspond with the system of length sizing employed.

3. A machine for operating on soles comprising a work support, cutting means for forming a transverse incision in a sole adjacent the heel breast line, a gage for positioning the sole, mechanism for shifting the gage into proper relation to said cutting means according to the length size of the sole, master adjustment means in combination with said mechanism for varying the amount of gage movement for each length size to correspond with the system of length sizing employed, mechanism for positioning the gage longitudinally of the sole in accordance with the nominal width size of the sole, and a second master adjustment means in combination with said last recited mechanism for varying the amount of gage movement for each width size to correspond with the system of width sizing employed.

4. A machine for operating on soles comprising a work support, a reciprocating tool, a sole positioning gage, a rotatable cam for moving the gage relative to the tool, and means including a manually rotatable member for varying the amount of movement of the gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam.

5. A machine for operating on soles comprising a work support, a reciprocating cutting tool, a sole positioning gage, a rotatable cam for setting the gage in proper relation to said cutting tool according to the length size of the sole, means for varying the amount of movement of the gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam to correspond with the system of length size grading employed, a second rotatable cam for shifting the gage into proper relation with said cutting tool according to the width size of the sole, and other means for varying the amount of gage movement per degree of angular displacement of the second cam to correspond with the system of width size grading employed,

6. A machine for operating on soles having in combination a work support, cutting means for forming transverse incisions in a sole at opposite sides thereof, a die carrying disk, mechanism for rotating the disk to move a die into operative position and for simultaneously setting the gage to locate in proper relation to said cutting means a sole of the size indicated on the die moved into operative position, and master adjustment means in combination with said mechanism for varying the amount of gage movement for each size to correspond with the system of size grading employed. I

7. A machine for operating on soles having in combination a work support, a reciprocating tool, a sole positioning gage, a die carrying disk having a plurality of size marking dies arranged in sequence about its periphery, a rotatable cam for moving the gage relative to the tool, manually operated means for simultaneously rotating said cam and said die carrying disk, and means for altering the amount of movement of the gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam.

8. A machine for operating on soles having in combination a work support, a reciprocating tool, a sole positioning gage, a plurality of dies for marking size and width numbers on the sole, a rotatable cam for setting the gage in proper relation to said cutting means according to the length size of the sole, means for altering the amount of movement of the gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam to correspond with the system of length size grading employed, a second rotatable cam for shifting the gage into proper relation with said. cutting means according to the width size of the sole, and other means for altering the amount of gage movement per degree of angular displacement of the second cam to correspond with the system of width size grading employed.

9. ,A machine for operating on soles having in combination a work support, a reciprocating tool,

a a gage for positioning a sole, a die carrying disk having a plurality of dies arranged in sequence about its periphery, means for axially shifting the position of said die carrying disk, mechanism for setting the gage to locate soles of different sizes in proper relation to the tool, and master adjustment means in combination with said mechanism for varying the amount of gage movement for each size to correspond with the system of size grading employed.

10. A mamine for operating on soles having in combination a work support, cutting means for forming transverse incisions at opposite sides of the sole, a gage for positioning the sole, means for marking size and Width numbers on the sole, means for moving said marking means longitudinally with respect to the sole, mechanism for setting the gage to locate soles of different sizes in proper relation to said cutting means, and master adjustment means in combination with said mechanism for varying the amount of gage movement for each size to correspondwith the system of size grading employed.

11. A machine for operating on soles having in combination a work support, a reciprocating tool, a sole positioning gage, a die carrying disk having a plurality of size marking dies arranged in sequence about its periphery,'means for axially shifting the position of the die carrying disk, a rotatable cam for moving the gage relative to the tool, manually operated means for simultaneously rotating said cam and said die carrying disk, and means for varying the amount of movement of the gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam.

12. In a machine for operating on soles, a gage, a rotatable cam for moving the gage, and means including a manually rotatable member for varying the amount of movement or. the gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam.

13. In a machine for operating on soles, a gage, a rotatable cam, a lever operated by said cam and constructed and arranged to move the gage in a direction longitudinally of a sole in the machine,

and means for shifting the fulcrum point of the lever whereby the amount of movement of the gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam may be varied.

14. In a machine for operating upon soles, a reciprocating knife, a work gage, a rotatable cam, and linkage means connecting the cam to the gage, said linkage means being adjustable to efiect a change in the amount of movement imparted to the gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam.

15. A machine for operating upon soles comprising a Work support, a reciprocating knife, a work gage, a rotatable cam, a lever actuated by said cam and constructed and arranged.- to impart to the gage movement longitudinally of a sole in the machine, and means for altering the amount of movement of said gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam.

16. In a machine for operating u pon soles, a

work gage, a rotatable cam, and linkage means connecting the cam to the gage, said linkage means including a pivoted member which is adjustab le on its pivot to vary the amount of movement imparted to the gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam.

17. In a machine for operating upon soles, a gage, a rotatable cam, a lever operated by said cam and constructed and arranged to move the gage in a direction longitudinally of a sole in the machine, and a rack and pinion for shifting the fulcrum. point of the lever, whereby the amount of movement of the gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam may be varied.

18. In a machine for operating on soles, a gage, a rotatable cam, a lever operated by said cam and constructed and arranged to position the gage in accordance with a previously selected size of sole, and means for shifting the fulcrum point of the lever, whereby the amount of movement of the gage per degree of angular displacement of the cam may be varied.

LLOYD G. KNOWLES. 

